(December 18, 2003) Acres International’s still confidential report to the World Bank, Economic Review of the Bujagali hydropower project, priced Karuma at $585 million – $200 million above costs projected by Norpak, a coalition of Norwegian firms, pushing for Karuma.
World Bank inflated costs of Karuma hydropower
(December 16, 2003) Canadian consulting firm Acres International prepared a secret report the World Bank relied on to select which Ugandan hydro project (Karuma/Bujagali) to bankroll.
Seaport study in stormy seas
(December 7, 2003) A feasibility study by a Canadian company for an international seaport in Hambantota has been deemed un-bankable by a steering committee of the Sri Lanka Ports Authority.
Acres awaits bribery trial ruling
(July 2, 2002) Lesotho judge must decide if payments to Swiss bank account were legitimate.
The end of swag?
(July 1, 2002) Until recently, Europeans could pay off foreign officials and write it off as a tax deduction. Now they’re joining a rich-nation front with high hopes of rolling back the global culture of corruption.
The Canadian connection
(June 27, 2002) A corruption trial in Lesotho should be forcing Canadian agencies to re-examine their relationships with firms that engage in bribery. Instead, the indifference it is being greeted with indicates little has changed.
Acres expects acquittal in bribery trial
(June 6, 2002) Acres International Ltd., one of Canada’s best-known engineering firms, says it believes it will be acquitted of bribery in the African kingdom of Lesotho even though the official it is accused of bribing was convicted.
Engineer jailed for taking bribes
(June 5, 2002) Masupha Sole was pushed into Lesotho High Court in a wheelchair yesterday to hear himself sentenced to 18 years in prison for taking bribes from foreign contractors.
Acres’ reputation at risk in African bribery trial
(May 27, 2002) Acres International Ltd., one of the great names in Canadian engineering, is nearing the end of a criminal trial in an impoverished African kingdom on charges that could stain its reputation and show the risks of using far-off agents.
Canadian firm charged with bribery in Lesotho
(February 20, 2002) The prosecution team says evidence will be led that Acres International paid bribes worth millions of US dollars to the former chief executive of the Lesotho Highlands Authority.
Maseru bribery: Canadian firm charged
(February 19, 2002) A Canadian firm of contractors, Acres International, was charged with two counts of bribery in the Lesotho High Court on Tuesday in connection with the two-nation Lesotho Highlands Water Project.
Defence asks for re-opening of its case
(November 29, 2001) Defence lawyers in the Lesotho bribery trial have applied for the re-opening of their case. Meanwhile, the President of Acres International of Canada stated that his company as a matter of principle did not engage in corrupt business practices.
The political economy of public utilities: A study of the Indian power sector
(June 1, 2001) "The projects in Kerala too have become loaded with inflated capital costs. . . . The active presence of SNC-Lavalin in the Kerala power sector even now despite a vigilance case against it is a case in point."
Debt relief needs an epiphany
(January 5, 2001) Forgiving the poorest countries’ loans is only a start, say Sara Stratton and church groups campaigning for reform.
Whassup with Paul Martin?
(September 28, 2000) Patricia Adams is quoted in the wake of Paul Martin’s proposal "that the world’s rich countries tell poor countries to just forget about paying back all those billions in loans."
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